The Cardinals
by ThatClerk
Summary: Would you like to be special? Do you want to be rich? Do you want to be adored? Do you want so much power, you can feel it moving inside of of you? I bet you do. I bet you'd do about anything for it. Then come and join The Cardinals. There's just one catch, you've got to give a little part of yourself in return. How big that part is, well... that's up to us.
1. Chapter 1

If you could change yourself, get to the next level or become something else entirely, would you do it? Don't tell me you wouldn't, that would make you a liar. Anyone would, we're greedy like that. I did, and I don't regret it at all. It's not like my life was bad before it, it was pretty ordinary actually. I had my clique, I was popular but what was that compared to what I have now? It was nothing, a night in a trailer park compared to a night at the Taj Mahal. To tell you the truth, I'd trade the redundancy of Teenage popularity and the _girl-next door_ image for the fast lane any day. You're thinking that I'm a spoilt little bitch, that I had it all and why want more? Why push it?

It's only when you get to the top when you want something that threatens your demise to bottom again, and the more the boredom eats at you, the edgier you get until someone offers you a release. My someone was Gil Moore, a senior at _Cardinal Young Catholic School_ in Arlington County. For several days, I felt his eyes on me. Gil was never attractive nor exceptional until he hit sophomore year. He was always seen with one or two of the same group of people who seemed to have caught the sudden change as well; people started calling them T_he_ _Cardinals_. Then a senior, I knew he had quite the control over our school body. His outstanding athleticism made him friends and his good looks brought him girls. He could have any girl in school with his dark hair and eyes but he seemed to pick me, a freshmen. Just before the summer break ended and I was to start my sophomore year, he showed up at a friend's party. We kept stealing looks until finally he made his way to me, a drink in hand. My head was screwed on right, and I thought I knew what he wanted. Turns out, I was wrong.

That was two summers ago and I was now leaning against a red convertible, a car that appeared in my driveway this morning. I was in the parking lot of _Cardinal Young Catholic School, _my domain. People stared at the car and then at me as they walked by. It was a new year, and among all the familiar faces were a few new ones as well. I wasn't that surprised this morning when I saw the car. At the beginning of every school year since I became part of _The_ _Cardinals _I would receive a very cool and very expensive gift, and so did the rest of the members. We knew exactly who it came from too; we just didn't like mentioning that part. It brought us back to our decision to do this in the first place: Did I sell my soul for this car? Did I give up 'me' for this in return?

"Well, well, seems the summer has been good to you" said a familiar voice.

"Hey Mo, it's good to see you" I said, hugging her. Mona was also part of The Cardinals and my best friend, if it wasn't for Gil, I would have never met her.

"Geez, all I get is a bass, and you get this?" she said, feigning jealousy.

"How is the present by the way?" I asked and her smile widens.

"Awesome, just awesome, the sound will blow your mind" she said, enthusiastically. The bass suites Mona, she has an intensity that most guys can't handle.

"I'll take your word for it" I said, chuckling. We made our way inside, attracting even more eyes than before.

"You'd think they'd get use to us" whispered Mona to me and I nodded in agreement. But how could they? We were royalty to them; the school spirit was represented by us, not the football team. A random kid high fived me in the hall and we were suddenly being greeted by every student there.

"Hey, Christina! I like your shoes" called one.

"Thanks" I replied, trying to find the person in the sea of faces who said it. When I looked for Mona, she was backing away from a shorter girl that was trying to have a conversation with her. She must have been new because everyone knew that Mona was like stone when it came to people she didn't know. Someone screamed, nearly giving me a heart attack and I saw a head with fierce blond hair barreling towards us. It was Bridget for sure, and I could see Matthew behind her, trying to keep up, both of whom were _Cardinals_ as well. She squeezed every last breath out of me while talking animatedly.  
"Hey Bridge" I choked out as she hugged me tighter.

"Can you believe we're juniors already!" she said excitedly, letting me go.

"Nope, not at all" I said, rubbing the parts of me were she gripped. "Hey Matt" I said, kissing Matt on the cheek.

"Hey, did you get something this morning?" he replied, smiling.

"Yeah, a car. Luckily it wasn't hard to explain to the _rents_" I said and he nodded.

"I wish I was as lucky, my parents actually care what I do" he said with a slight wink and I smirked. "I got an _Origin Genesis_" he said, looking impressed with himself.

"I'm gonna' go with _computer_?" I presumed and he gave a nod.

"Only the greatest desktop on the market" he said, with a cocky smile. Mona tapped me my shoulder and I turned to her.

"Where's the others?" she asked and I shrugged. When I turned back to Matt, he was busy chatting with a girl. She was pouting her lips at him, looking up at him through her lashes.

"Pathetic" I mumbled to myself.

"What is?" said Landon at my ear. I jumped, my heart almost bursting through my ribcage.

"Don't do that!" I almost shrieked and turned to his lopsided smile. Spencer was behind him, chuckling at my response.

"Looks like the gang's all here" I said and Spencer hugged me.

"Good to see you again, Chris. Been a boring break without you" he whispered in my ear.

"That's because I was in relaxation mode, Bud. No parties until school started" I said, winking at him, as I broke free of his hug.

"Shall we go to the lounge?" asked Bridget and I nodded. We made our way down the hall, shuffling between random people trying to greet us or other wise grab onto us like parasites to a little hangout called _The Nest_. Its where the Cardinals go to hangout and chill, some other people get in through invite though, a very selective process and way too much pressure for me, so people outside the Cardinals almost never get in here. The principle gave it to Gil and the rest of them to fix up and they handed it over to us. I fell back in a beanbag and Landon jumped in next to me.

"How was your break?" he asked, his eyes set intently on me.

"It was fine, how was yours?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. It was hard to keep composed around someone like Landon. Its not that I had a thing for him, he was a good friend, that's all. But his whole demeanor is so unsettling with his dark wavy hair that he ran his hand through, icy blue eyes that could freeze someone over and his lithe movements.

"Good. I took my Aunt and Rich to Cancun" he said and my eyes widened.

"No way! That's awesome. Aunt Rory must have loved that. But what happened to saving up?" I asked and he shrugged.

"When it past the half-a-million mark, I thought it was okay to spend a little" he said with a slight smile and my jaw fell.

"Holy hell" I murmured. "Please don't tell me your Aunt is still working at that hotel"

"She quit a few months ago. She hates staying at home and doing nothing though, so she's looking for a new job" he replied. "So, what you get?"

"A car" I replied. I tried to keep the gushing short; Landon hated the fact that we were getting these gifts because he knew we were being bribed and his moral compass has only grown stronger since he became a Cardinal. "What did you get?" I asked. He opened his mouth but at that moment my phone buzzed.

"Sorry" I muttered, digging it out of my pocket. I received a text from an unknown number and I already knew what this meant. Landon read it over my shoulder and smirked.

"I suppose our gifts are early payments then?" he said, his voice filled with enough acid to burn off every inch of hair on my head.

"Relax, it may just be a check up" I replied but I was lying. The text gave a time, place and a codeword, nothing else.

"What did they say?" asked Mona, a little worry in her midnight blue eyes.

"They're calling us out" I replied, returning my phone to my pocket. "We're meeting them at Keswick Hall"

"Tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah" I replied.

"Suits and ties, baby" said Spencer enthusiastically.

"You do realize they're calling us for a new job, right?" said Landon with a biting voice at Spencer.

"Chill man, it's just a job" replied Spencer. Landon jumped up from the beanbag, nearly knocking me over.

"It's a job we're we could hurt innocent people. Where we take advantage of others, turn into full fledged criminals and you wanna' tell me its "just a job"?" he hissed at Spencer. "You're sick"

In a flash of grey, Spencer had Landon pinned to the wall with the length of his arm. "You signed up for this!" he shouted at Landon and gave him a push. Landon kept his eyes on the floor, the tendons in his neck visible. Spencer breathed out once and backed away, scratching the crown of his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Spencer began. His face was red but I could see he was trying to keep his flaring temper under control.

"It's fine" Landon replied with a cool voice. My eyes met with Mona's and I swallowed the words that were building up in my throat. Would it help if Spencer knew that Landon never signed up for any of this? That it was me that took him to that alter in secret and transformed him myself?

I didn't say anything, I only stared at Landon apologetically but he hardly gave me a glance.

When I made it home, I began to get ready. I picked out dark azure shift dress and took a shower. I was delaying telling my mother where I was going tonight. I was afraid she wouldn't allow me and that I'd have to resort to _other_ techniques. I made my way downstairs with a towel wrapped around me. She was in the kitchen, chopping up mushrooms.

"Hey, mom?" I said.

"Yeah, Hun?" replied my mom.

"Can I go out tonight?" I asked.

"It's a school night, Chris. I don't think it's a good idea" she replied, frowning.

"Mom, I'm only going to hang with friends at Spencer's" I said.

"Is that why you have a cocktail dress laid out on your bed?" she asked and I bit my lips, slapping myself inwardly. "Is the Queen visiting?"

"Mom, I can explain-" I began.

"Not tonight, Christina. That's final" she said with a steely voice. I sighed, realizing that I had no other resorts.

"Mom, look at me" I said and she breathed out.

"What now?" she asked putting down the knife. I stared straight into her eyes, focusing on the inky hollows of the pupil.

"You will let me go out" I said.

"I will let you go out" she repeated in a monotonous voice, her face taking on the look of a deer in headlights.

"You will not wait up for me" I said.

"I will not wait up for you" she repeated perfectly.

"Okay" I said, breathing out and gave her a hug.

"What's that for?" she said, smiling at me, she was back to being my mom.

"A thanks" I said, shrugging.

"It's fine. Just don't stay out too long" she said and went back to chopping. I got ready and climbed in the convertible. I was driving to Landon first; I needed to speak to him about what happened today with Spencer. I stopped outside his house; it was a small white Victorian style house with a porch. The door opened and I could see him kiss his aunt on the cheek and he made his way towards the car. She waved to and I waved back. Landon didn't say hi or anything, he just climbed in next to me and began to fiddle with the radio. He was dressed in a simple back suit and a thin black tie but he pulled it off with a great amount of allure.

"Landon-" I began, as I pulled out of the driveway.

"Don't start, Christina. It's fine" he cut me off, still not looking at me.

"Obviously its not. You can't even look at me" I said and he sighed heavily, sat back and turned his icy blue eyes to me.

"Better?" he asked sarcastically. I made a face and he smirked. After a while I tried again.

"You know I hate myself for doing what I did" I said.

"I do" he replied, his tone uninterested.

"Then why do you still act like this?" I asked, frustrated.

"Why do you still feel guilty?" he asked me as I turned into Mona's driveway a little too quickly.

"I-I can't, I just can't have this conversation with you" I said, angrily. He shrugged and I slammed my foot on the break and he jerked forward, hitting his head hard on the dashboard.

"What the hell, Christina?!" he barked at me.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd make it all the way to the dashboard!" I retorted.

"That's encouraging" he jeered sarcastically. He put his hand to his forehead and I could see a drop of blood running down the side of his face. "Shit, I'm bleeding now. Great job" he muttered.

"Let me see" I said, trying to tug his hand away but he pulled away from me.

"No, you've done enough" he replied.

"Stop being a baby" I said, and pinned him the seat as I pulled his hand away.

Get off of me!" he struggled.

"Chill, okay? Do you want the blood to be gone or not?" I asked and he was quiet for once. I grabbed a tissue from the box on the backseat and wiped the blood away until I could see the small cut on the top corner of his forehead. "Hold on, I think I have a band aid in the glove compartment" I said leaning over his lap. I opened the glove compartment but I couldn't see a thing in the dark. I dug around and I could hear Landon becoming impatient.

"Can you make this quick?" he asked with annoyance.

"I can always let you bleed out" I said sarcastically. I leaned my head down on his lap, trying to get a better view and then there was a knock against the window. I looked up at Mona, starring at us with a perched eyebrow.

"I can come back when you're done" she said and I clambered back to my seat.

"Very funny" I said, opening the back door for her. She climbed in and noticed Landon's bleeding head.

"Wow, never knew you two were this kinky" she said mockingly and I shot her a look. I turned on the light and leaned over again and pulled out the box of band-aids.

"Here" I said, pushing it at Landon in exasperation. He can fix his own cut.

"Are the others hitching a ride with Matt?" asked Mona.

"Yeah" I replied, and started digging around my bag. I took out a carton box, opened it up and drew out a Marlboro with my lips as I turned off the highway. As I lit it, Landon reached over and pulled it from my mouth and threw it out the window.

"Dammit, Landon!" I snapped. "What's your problem?!"

"You can screw up your own lungs, but I'm not going to let you screw with mine as well" he replied icily. I kept my tongue but made eye contact with Mona in the front mirror and I could see her give me the slightest shrug. I grabbed another one, lit it and rolled down my window.

"Then you can take the bus" I replied. The rest of the ride was deadly quiet until we arrived at the hotel.

"_Shmanky_"said Mona as we made our way to the entrance of Keswick Hall. At the front I could see Matt and them waiting for us. We greeted one another, out of nerves rather then habit.

"Showtime" I said as we walked through the front doors. We made our way past the decked out halls with crystal chandeliers and glossed floors to the restaurant.

"Can I help you?" asked the hostess, staring at us.

"We have a reservation. _Bluewater_" I said the codeword and she nodded, looking at the screen of her computer. "Ah, this way" she said, smiling warmly at us. "The rest of the guests have already arrived"

Mona walked beside me, fiddling nervously with her lace dress. "I don't like this" she murmured to me. I tried to manage an encouraging look but it got lost somewhere between dazed and worried.

"We've done this before" I replied, squeezing her hand.

"Yeah, but it doesn't get any better" she replied, not looking at me. The hostess took us to the back of the restaurant, where the seating was long round booths that cut off sight from the rest of the world. I could already make out the familiar faces, like the dark face, hair and eyes of Michael Cairns, a man in his late thirties with the brashness of a street fighter and David Miles, a man with a very cold and very sharp featured face that could pierce metal. We scooted in uncomfortably into the booth, staring at one another.

"Glad you could join us" said David, a cold smile on his lips. He said it to me, not making eye contact with he others. "We've been through this before, I am sure you know why you're here"

"What do you need us to do?" I asked with a steely voice. The quicker I got this over with, the quicker we could get away from these two. There was something unnerving about them. Michael took out a folder from under the table and passed it me, leaning in.

"Everything you need to know is in there. It's a big job but minimal security, the only issues are the cameras and the vault" he explained, he at least spoke to the rest of the group. "The smaller the attention you bring to yourself the better"

"So we should split up" said Landon, coldly. He was behaving himself at least, but his crossed arms and irate face made it clear he didn't want to be here. "Maybe only three of us should go on this job"

"What is the job exactly?" I murmured.

"A bank heist. Nothing too peculiar" replied David but he didn't look at Landon. Landon smirked, shaking his head.

"Nothing too peculiar? You do realize stealing is a crime?" he asked sarcastically but discreetly.

"It will be a quick job, in and out. We're counting on you to make this happen without a hitch" said David, ignoring Landon's remark.

"We'll get it done" I responded, trying to look as convincing as possible.

"Excellent. Send us a report as soon as possible" said David and they both got up in unison. "We must go, but please enjoy the rest of your evening"

We watched them leave and so did the rest of the diners. The waitress came a little later and we ordered what we wanted. Everything was already paid for so we could go over board if we wanted to. The rest of the evening was fun except for the creeping feeling of why we were actually here.

"We should start planning tomorrow at Matt's" I said handing him the folder. "We'll choose the three who will be going then. No need to spoil a nice evening"

"Cool. I'll set everything up" he said, putting the folder in his briefcase. As the spoke animatedly at each other, I watched each of them and how I sat there, coinciding with this missed matched team. It was like an out of body experience, and I was the face of this unit, the spearhead that is indefinitely stabbing the side of society. It was a quiet drive back when it was just Landon and I. He stared blankly out of the window, he was thinking.

"I'm not going to choose you" I said. He didn't stir so I kept going. "If that's what you're worried about. You wouldn't have been the right pick for this job anyway"

"I can be invisible, Christina" he said, a smirk on his lips. "All you need for this job is me"

"You don't want to be there though" I replied. "You're a liability"

"Do I make this hard for you?" he asked, the smirk disappearing.

"I'm scared that… that one day you're going to say something and they'll kill you" I said, clenching onto the steering wheel. I swallowed the worry and tears that were building up in my throat now. "They've made it clear that once you're in, you can't get out"

"I'm smarter than that. I know how far I can push these guys" he said, shrugging it off.

"No you don't, Landon. It's not okay to push them, okay? You're playing with your life" I replied, irritated by his nonchalance. "And I put you in this situation, I know. If you get yourself screwed over it will be my fault!"

He watched me, frowning. "I'm sorry" he murmured.

"Don't say that" I moaned. "Don't make me feel worse"

He sighed, scratching his eyebrow with his thumb. It was quiet from then on until I reached his house, none of this lights were on except for his bedroom and he turned to me once we pulled into his driveway. My hands didn't leave the steering wheel, they held on for dear life.

"I wish that I had never asked for more" I murmured, staring into nothing.

"No you don't. You like this life" he replied. "I get it"

"That's not what I meant. I wish that I never asked for more from you" I explained. He looked at me and then looked at his front door.

"Goodnight, Christina" he says and gets out of the car and I watch him enter his house and stay until his bedroom light turns off.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day we plan to all meet at Matt's after school to discuss plans. His parents both work and will only be back around 8 so we have the house to ourselves without any curious ears. I hadn't the nerve to look at Landon for the whole day at school and now I have to spend another few hours with him discussing the thing he hates most. Great.

"You seem a little off, today" murmurs Mona to me during History.

"I do?" I shrug and she makes a face at me.

"Christina, I know when something's on your mind" she says. "Now tell me"

I look at her and she smirks. "Say no more. Landon is it?" she says and I nod. She knows me too well.

"I don't get that boy" she says, shaking her head. "He got what he wanted and he knew the risks. We all did"

I don't say anything, how could I? Agreeing would make me a liar, disagreeing would have to mean telling her what really happened. Neither choice seemed at all appetizing, so I opted to shut my mouth. But Mona is smarter and knows me better than I give her credit for. I see her eyes search my face, trying to figure out what I was trying to hide. She doesn't say anything though, but I know she hasn't accepted my silence as an answer. I just think she doesn't want the truth just yet. After school, I drive the girls to Matt's place, while Matt drives the guys. We pace around the room, making idle banter, while inwardly stressing about the heist until I ask for their attention. I can see in each of their faces a slight resistance. A conflict behind their eyes that they haven't quite resolved. I sigh, roll my shoulders and begin.

"Matt, would you begin?" I ask and he nods, rolling over to his projector on a wheelie chair. He plugs in his laptop and I take a seat next to him.

"Okay" he says, bringing up a large blueprint with several annotations on it. "The job's codename is "Barnabas". Whenever speaking or referring to the job, it must be addressed by the code-name, no exceptions. You'll all get your own detailed schedules after this, but here is the gist of it: I'll enter the building first. I'll be waiting for my "appointment" here" he says, pointing to a seating area on the left of the entrance. "I'll act as extra muscle, keep watch of the front desks and I'll be there for insurance, incase things don't quite go as planned. Our two infiltrators will be Landon and Christina" he says and my stomach sinks. Matt gave me an apologetic stare. "I'm sorry, Chris. There was no way around it". I swallow, unable to bring myself to look at Landon. "You two will be acting as a married couple who are looking to take out a loan. You will enter from the front and wait to be taken by a specific employee down the south hall. From there, Christina will manipulate the employee and hand him the four duffle bags. By this time, a virus I implanted in their security system will block feeds from the cameras at the entrance. This will send a distress signal to the guards to increase security in the front while the problem is being fixed. You will wait 10 seconds exactly, and then the feed of the south hall will become blocked. Then send the employee to the safe while invisible Landon follows him. You both have only another four minutes to fill the bags until the second distress signal is sent and the security guards return to the south hall, so be quick. While this is happening, Christina will dress in security transport uniform and meet them at the safe. From there you'll head west through two large doors that take you to a secure parking lot under the bank. Waiting there will be Spencer and Mona – also in the same uniforms – and a security transportation truck. You'll place the bags inside the truck and roll out of there before any of them has a clue"

"Hey!" Bridget shouts. "What about me?"

Shit. We forgot about Bridget. "Uhhh" mumbles Matt. "Well, you'll be waiting at the rendezvous spot for us and then from there, we'll dispose of the truck and you'll give us a ride to back here"

"So I'm waiting and driving?" she asks with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes" says Matt, carefully.

"So basically I not only miss a high risk operation but I also escape implication?" she asks.

"Seems so"

Bridget smacks her hands together with a big smile. "Suckers".

"Wait, where do we get a truck?" asks Spencer.

"The Agency has already sent me the co-ordinates to its location. All we have to do is pick it up before the job" he answers and Spencer nods. We don't stay around; I drop off Bridget and Mona and drive out of town and into the city. I dig out my phone from my purse and dial Gil's number.

"Hello?" his voice is low, raspy.

"Gil, its Christina" I say and I can hear him smile when he says, "Kid, its good to hear from you"

"You at the club?" I ask.

"Yeah, come by" he says and I hang up. Gil graduated two years ago and he now owns several clubs and bars downtown. He hasn't told me how he got them but it doesn't take an genius to guess. His favorite club is called _Pure_; he's always there. When I get to the club, there are people cleaning and the bartender is already behind the bar, setting up for tonight. I go through the backdoor and around the bar to stairs that lead up to his office in the back.

"Chris! It's been way too long" he says when I walk into his office. He gets up and hugs me with his big arms. I was surprised at how happy I was to see him. Gil leans back to look at me.

"Why'd you come all the way out here?" he asks, leaning back on his desk.

"We've got another job" I answer and he nods, taking a deep breath.

"You need my help?"

"No, no. Just your advice I guess" I say. He offers me a seat and I take it. He gazes at me, waiting.

"Did you ever have trouble with other Cardinals?" I ask and he tilts his head to the side like a dog.

"You mean like my own members?" he asks and I nod. "Well, when I was a sophomore, a couple of months after the _change,_ we got our first job. It was small, just delivering a bunch boxes in the back of a truck. We didn't know what was inside and it didn't really bother us except for one" he said. "Laurie wouldn't shut up about it. She kept talking about "social responsibility". When she finally got it out of her system and opened the box, she discovered assault rifles. She lost it then and there. I had to call Steven to come pick her up but she put up a fight"

"You didn't call them did you?" I said, remembering the first time I met an agent from the Agency when I was a sophomore. She gave me a number on a pink card and said to call it when we have trouble with a member of the Cardinals.

"No, I couldn't" he said. "God knows what would have happened to her if I did"

"What happened then?"

He sighed and looked at his hands. "I sent a current through the back of her neck to knock her out and I finished the job without her"

"Did she ever do it again?" I asked and he shook his head.

"She never looked at me the same either though" he added. _Well shit_, I thought to myself.

"Who you having trouble with?" he asks.

"Who do you think?" I say and he shakes his head.

"I warned you nothing good could come from a kid like him" he said and I glared at him.

"You were just like him once. Remember? Back when nobody knew your name, back when you were nothing special" I reply, coldly.

"The only difference was I wanted to change, nobody made the decision for me" he states, his focused stare burning through me.

"Well fuck me then for wanting to help the poor kid out" I mutter. "You know they were going to lose the house? Rich wasn't even in grade school yet"

"I know" he murmurs and rests his arm around me. "You did what you thought was right"

"God, then how could it have gone so wrong?" I ask and he shrugs.

"You got to remind a kid like him what's at stake" says Gil. Our goodbye is short but sincere and I leave there feeling a little better. Why can't Landon just accept what's happened and make the best of it? It was never a selfish decision that I made; I chose to change Landon for him and his family. It had nothing to do with what I wanted. Why can't he just see that?

I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the car following me until I saw it flash its headlights. I looked at it through my mirror; it was a black sedan with tinted windows so I couldn't see who was inside. I got a text and saw that it was from a blocked number. It told me to pull over. Usually blocked numbers were from the Agency. What would they want from me? They saw me yesterday evening and they usually just send an email or a text when they want to talk. I feel worry and fear bubble up my stomach. What the hell do they want from me?

The car flashes their headlights again, the driver probably becoming impatient. I swallow the worry and fear and pull into a supermarket parking lot. The black sedan follows me in and park on the other side of the lot. I watch as a tall man with wide shoulders -wearing a polo shirt, jeans and aviators- makes his way to my car. He walks funny, a slight limp in his left leg that causes him to have a slight bounce in his stride. He walks around the car and opens the passenger side door. He bends over to look at me.

"Hi, there" he greets politely with a smile. "Ms. Whitmore, I presume"

"Yes...?" I murmur, my is voice low so it won't crack from panic.

"Mind if I have a seat?" he asks and I shake my head, not knowing whether or not I even had the power to deny him anyway. He slips in and takes off his aviators. He turns to me, his squinty green eyes are friendly and he gives me a wink.

"For a minute there we thought you weren't goin' to pull over" he chuckles a little, running his palm over his slicked back blond hair. His got a slight drawl, like he's from the South. "I'm Cole Marston. I work for the Agency" he sticks out his hand for me to shake but I don't.

"Can I help you?" I ask and he shakes his head, chuckling.

"All business, I like it" he says and puts his hand down. "You've got nothing to worry about, Miss. I'm not here to talk about you"

"Then why are you here?" I ask, I don't like the way he's always smiling.

"Ms. Whitmore, the Agency has worked very hard for things to run as smoothly as possible. They want the utmost safety for all their members"

"So?"

"So, its important for us to continue like this. You wouldn't appreciate it if someone was to come in and disrupt things and put you and your friends in danger now, would you?" he asks and shake my head. "That's good to hear. Does Landon feel the same?" my heart begins to race.

"Yes, sir" I murmur, trying to keep my heartbeat under control. It feels like it's beating so loud that he could hear it. He purses his lips, his smile disappearing for the first time. The man named Cole nods and leans back in the car seat. His eyes wander from mine to a woman across the road walking with a dog. His smile returns and his eyes are far away like he's remembering something.

"I used to have dog just like that," he says and the tangent this conversation has taken surprises me. He turns back to look at me and says "I got him when I was young. When he was a pup, all he wanted to do was listen to me. When he got older though, his hearing got bad and his mind started to go. About a year ago, as I sat down to have dinner; he starts barking at me, out of the blue. I think he wants a little attention, so I reach out to pet him. You know what he does?" he asks me, his eyes drilling into mine. I stay quiet; I can't manage to get words out.

"He bites me" he states, incredulous. He raises his hand and I can see small indentations in his tanned palm. "A pup that I have raised, my own best friend" he smirks and shakes his head. "So I took my dinner knife and slit the dog's throat"

My stomach drops. "This was a nice little chat. I hope to see you again, Ms. Whitmore" he says getting out of the car. I sit there frozen as he walks back to the black sedan and drives away. Whatever comfort I found after seeing Gil has disappeared. Now all I feel is fear. I curse inwardly at Landon. What are we going to do? What the fuck are we going to do?


End file.
